Sunday, February 05, 2012

•Why We Got Ayn Rand Instead of FDR: Thomas Frank on How Tea Party ‘Populism’ Derailed a New New DealAlterNetCapitalism|Many observers expected the pendulum to swing back from the rightward lurch authored during the “Reagan Revolution” – perhaps a new New Deal would emerge as America elected its first black president in a dramatic rejection of George W. Bush’s business-friendly ideology. But something happened on the way to this much-anticipated swing back to the left. Instead of FDR, we got Ayn Rand. Rather than calling for programs that might alleviate some of working America’s suffering, we saw the emergence of the Tea Parties, which demanded that ordinary Americans feel every bit of pain they had coming to them – and also that we leave the Wall Street hustlers who had precipitated the crash alone.Published: 2012-02-01